The present invention was first described in Disclosure Document Number 476,640 filed on Jul. 7, 2000. There are no previously filed, nor currently any co-pending applications, anywhere in the world.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to nursing bottles and nipples and the like and, more particularly, to an attachment to a nursing bottle that provides entertaining lights and sounds.
2. Description of the Related Art
While caring for a newborn baby can be one of the most rewarding duties a person may bear, it is often one of the most traumatizing. This is due to the fact that people know so very little about newborns due to the amount of time they are exposed to them. Perhaps the most traumatizing of these tasks is trying to get the infant to eat or sleep. Singing, feeding, rocking, and holding all may work at one time or another, but then again, they may not. Even if they do work, they require time and effort on the part of the care giver that the care giver may not be able to spare at that present time.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention; however, the following references were considered related.
The following patents disclose a sound-generating feeding bottle for babies.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,037,872 issued in the name of Dunnum
U.S. Pat. No. 6,024,625 issued in the name of Pearce
U.S. Pat. No. 5,489,893 issued in the name of Jo et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,678,093 issued in the name of Allen
U.S. Pat. No. 3,627,161 issued in the name of Wergeland
The following patents describe a musical baby bottle adapter.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,745 issued in the name of Hadaway
U.S. Pat. No. 5,344,034 issued in the name of Eagan
U.S. Pat. No. 5,842,901 issued in the name of Montgomery discloses a baby bottle with musical and vibratory adapters.
And, U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,866 issued in the name of Arad et al. describes an electric sound-generating simulated baby bottle toy.
Consequently, there is a need for a means by which infants, babies, and young children can be soothed to sleep or eat in a manner that is quick, easy and effective while requiring minimum effort on the part of the care giver.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved entertaining attachment for an infant""s nursing bottle.
It is a feature of the present invention to provide an improved entertaining attachment for an infant""s nursing bottle that provides lights and music when wound up.
Briefly described according to one embodiment of the present invention, a baby bottle for feeding purposes is provided with an attachable music box, light source and carousel-type motion display. The upper portion of the invention strongly resembles a conventional baby bottle with a plastic bottle portion, a nipple, a nipple retaining collar, and a covering cap. The bottom surface of the bottle is threaded around the perimeter to allow for the attached of a disc shaped enclosure. The disc shaped enclosure contains a battery, a musical producing electronic chip, a light source, and a carousel-type rotary mechanism that provides for the movement of a see-thru plastic piece around the perimeter. The see-thru plastic piece is decorated with child-type images. The electronics are activated by a motion type switch, and thus are deactivated when the bottle is still for a period of time to conserve battery life. When the infant is feeding from the bottle, he or she will be soothed by the musical sound and the varying patterns illuminated by the interior light.
The use of the present invention allows for the soothing and entertainment of a feeding baby or child in an effective manner such that the baby or child will feed of fall asleep without a fuss.
An advantage of the use of standard sized components such as nipples, caps, etc. ensures compatibility with existing bottles.
Use of a combined Light, Sound and Motion Cap allows attachment to the Base of an otherwise conventional Baby Bottle.
Also, providing of an outside surface rotates with music to further entertain infant that will play for a predetermined period of time upon activation by a motion switch.